#3

1.     Discuss an activity, interest, experience, or achievement in your life (this could be a book, movie, or an activity or experience at work, home, or at school) that has been particularly meaningful for you. (University of Florida)

An Indian Experience:

I was living in a small town in Northern India with an American family. The mother of that family always had beautiful saris, and I wanted one so badly.

 So one weekend, we went into town to a fabric store. I sat down on a little wooden bench covered with some cushions and stared at the walls stacked to the ceiling with boxes containing sari fabric

“What kind of sari are you looking for?” the shopkeeper asked me.

I had no idea! So I just started with styles. I decided on a sari made of georgette (a subtlety printed fabric).

So they brought down boxes. So many boxes of so many beautiful saris. The assistant took down piles from the shelves, and then the shopkeeper showed them to me, flipping the boxes open quickly and waiting for my judgments. Not that one. No. No. No. I looked at around 20 saris, declining them all, until finally I saw the one for me. Yes. I said. It was a rich purple hue, with green embroidery and a green border. It was gorgeous.

The Indian woman shopping for a sari sitting down next to me approved of my choice, smiling at me.

 So I purchased my sari “set”, and was off to the tailors to get a blouse and skirt made for it. We dropped it off, the tailor took my measurements, and then we were off to home.

A week later, I returned to pick up my sari and lug it home. When we arrived back at the house, I took the sari out of the box, and the mother of the family I was living with helped me put it on. She pleated the sari meticulously, lining up all the folds, and helped me wrap it with care. I looked in the mirror, and when I saw my reflection, I smiled. It was such a lovely sari.

Buying my own sari made me appreciate so much the saris I see women wear everyday—I realize the time it pick one out, have it made, and the care that goes into the lovely pleating of the fabric. I could see one woman had done a beautiful job with the pleats, and I appreciated all the effort with which she taken. Buying my own sari taught me so many things about India. I was so impressed with the shopkeeper’s skill at helping me find a sari, the care with which a sari is purchased, the beauty of the clothes of different cultures, and the ingenuity from which a 7-meter piece of fabric becomes a something beautiful, all due to the resourcefulness of the Indian people.